Imagining Lyme – A Visual Exploration of Lyme’s Preserves

The Lyme Land Trust is pleased to announce the Photos of Distinction for the Winter 2023 session of Imagining Lyme. We were delighted to see the many gorgeous photographs that are now displayed in our showcase gallery. This is a place to share your favorite photos of nature in Lyme. The judges have chosen three photos that stood out to them. Here is the list of the those photos with judges’ comments.

Counting Sheep by Bryn Souza (Beaver Brook Farm, Private Lyme Habitat)
“As part of the farm open house, I captured sheep, lambs and rams.” Bryn Souza

Here is a great example of why it is so much fun to head out with one’s camera and explore. Who knows what you might encounter, and, in this case, what could be better to document the promise of Spring than to capture recently born lambs romping with enthusiasm? One look at the lamb to the right and you know there is plenty of joy afoot and a bit of unbounded devilishness too. The photographer employed some useful techniques to help convey the mood. She has chosen a lower camera angle to put the viewer almost at “eye level” with the Lambs, which immediately creates a more intimate experience and involves the view in the action. The lighting conditions are just about perfect. The sun is to the side and behind the lambs creating highlights and shadows on the subject which helps create the illusion of depth in the picture. The photographer also presents the photograph as a severe horizontal by cropping out a lot of unnecessary information top and bottom, and in doing so she further builds a sense of motion.

Beaver Swimming by Renee Smith (Thach Preserve)
When one arrives at the Thach Preserve in search of a beaver, one sees a large pond cluttered with dying and dead trees, and three beaver lodges: the result of years of hard work by beavers building habitat that benefits a large diversity of wildlife. To take the photo, the photographer employed technique and had a bit of luck. Anticipating the movements of the subject is key, for the photographer must be in position to capture an event should the beaver cooperate and actually show up. In this almost monochromatic photo, the beaver’s wake through the water creates lines which direct the viewers eye to the Beaver’s head. The wake also bends the lines of the reflections of the surrounding trees toward the beaver’s head enforcing a strong composition. Seeing the environment only through the reflection simplifies the composition, eliminates excess objects, yet conveys a lot of information: the trees tell you it is in a forest, the lack of leaves on the trees suggest winter. By necessity the photographer has used a telephoto lens, with a fast shutter speed.

Fern in January by Kent Girty (Private Lyme Habitat)
On a wander through the woods, one is always on a mission of discovery. What will make a good composition? How can one strengthen the composition by simplifying the elements so only the important elements are in the photo? In this case, the photographer chose to eliminate all the extraneous elements of the forest and focus on texture in shooting this close-up view straight down on a clump of native evergreen mosses. The angle emphasizes a sense of motion and creates a unified, monochromatic composition. The wispy linear shapes of the broom forkmoss (dicranum scoparium) create a repetitive field to allow the viewer to concentrate on the object of distinction, the fernlike brocade moss (hypnum imponens), also called feather moss. The freshness of the green colors reference rebirth and hope during the winter season. This type of composition calls for a broad depth of field so all of the photo is in sharp focus.

Visit our webpage imagininglyme.org to submit your and to view the showcase galleries. The next deadline for photos is June 30, 2023.